American Quarter Horse named official OK state horse

Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law last week legislation naming the American Quarter Horse as the state official horse.

It has been a four-year long process, but Rep. Randy Randleman R-Eufaula and Sen. Blake “Cowboy” Stephens R-Tahlequah brought it across the finish line during this 58^th Legislature Session.

“It’s a good feeling,” Randleman said. “I think it is well-deserving. It is a horse that is dominant in Oklahoma.”

Stephens said this is a big deal for Oklahoma.

“It is a tremendous deal for Oklahoma,” he said. “It is something we can hang our hat on. We’ve been a state for 115 years and we are known for our Western heritage, it’s huge part of our state.”

As the largest equine breed registry in the world, the American Quarter Horse Association is proud to see the American Quarter Horse recognized as Oklahoma’s state horse, American Quarter Horse Association Executive Director Karl Stressman said.  

“The American Quarter Horse is as much a part of the history of the West as it is in the present and future with special events, world championship shows, races and other equine events that all showcase the versatility and talents of American Quarter Horses,” he said. “Oklahoma is home to American Quarter Horse owners, breeders, trainers, competitors and enthusiasts who are able to enjoy a variety of disciplines and pursuits in the industry all within their home state, from racing to rodeo and showing to ranching. The American Quarter Horse is a large part of the Oklahoma agricultural and tourist industries and a significant part of Oklahomans’ lives in a variety of ways.”

The state of Oklahoma is home to more than 167,000 American Quarter Horses, making it the second most highly populated state for the breed, he said.

He added that more than 10,000 Oklahomans are members of AQHA, ranking third in the world for total members for the Association and more than 33,000 Oklahomans own American Quarter Horses.

Quarter Horses are the most versatile breed, Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association Executive Director Krissy Bamberg said.

She said the American Quarter Horse can race, rodeo, trail ride and often have more than one job.

It is a great honor to having to having the American Quarter Horse as the state horse.

 “The American Quarter Horse is deeply rooted in the history of Oklahoma and continues to not only a huge economic benefit to the state, but Quarter Horses are used daily to keep our ranching an agriculture heritage alive,” Bamberg said.

Randleman and Stephens concur.

“I think it’ll be just another way to put Oklahoma on the map and recognized for horses, especially the American Quarter Horse because if you think of Oklahoma everybody thinks of Western and that kind of thing, so I think it’s more important for Oklahoma to have a state horse than any other state,” Randleman said.

“Anything we can do to highlight our way of life in Oklahoma, rural Oklahoma and there’s a lot of cowboys that live in town, so don’t think there not there are, so it’s been really good,” Stephens said. “It’s going to be really good for Oklahoma. It’s going to give our young people in school that’s learning about Oklahoma and those things about their state; it’s another factor to make them proud of who they are and what they represent.”